Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor

Map of the five counties of the state of Hawaii

Naval Base Hawaii was a number of United States Navy bases in the Territory of Hawaii during World War II. At the start of the war, much of the Hawaiian Islands was converted from tourism to a United States Armed Forces base. With the loss of US Naval Base Philippines in Philippines campaign of 1941 and 1942, Hawaii became the US Navy's main base for the early part of the island-hopping Pacific War against Empire of Japan. Naval Station Pearl Harbor was founded in 1899 with the annexation of Hawaii.

History

Pearl Harbor started as a naval facility and coaling station after a December 9, 1887, agreement. King Kalākaua granted the United States exclusive rights to use Pearl Harbor as a port and repair base. The United States - Hawaii relationship started with the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875, a free trade agreement. On May 28, 1903, the first battleship, USS Wisconsin arrived at the new coal station for coal and water. The Naval Station had existed in Pearl Harbor since 1898, but in 1908 the United States Congress allocated $3 million to build Navy Yard Pearl Harbor. Also in 1908 the Great White Fleet stopped at Pearl Harbor on its journey around the globe.
During World War II Naval Base Hawaii was given the codename ''Copper'' and Naval Station Pearl Harbor the codename ''Frey''. The fear of Japan's aggression started at the end of World War I.

After World War I in which Japan fought on the Allied side, Japan took control of German bases in China and the Pacific. In 1919, the League of Nations approved Japan's mandate over the German islands north of the equator. The United States did not want any mandates and was concerned with Japan's aggressiveness. As such Wilson Administration transferred 200 Atlantic warships to the Pacific Fleet in 1919. The Port of San Diego was too shallow to handle the battleships, so San Pedro Submarine Base became a Naval Base on August 9, 1919. San Pedro Submarine Base and Long Beach became fleet anchorage for the 200 ships. In 1940, President Roosevelt had the fleet at San Pedro moved and stationed at Honolulu's Naval Base Pearl Harbor due to Japanese war actions in China. While the United States was committed to Neutrality in the 1930s, Japan's aggression against China had caused concern.

On December 7, 1941, Japan carried out a surprise military strike on the Naval Base in Pearl Harbor. Japan hoped to eliminate US military force in the Pacific as it soon carried out attacks across the South Pacific. The attack led the US to enter World War II. For the US all of the Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers were at sea during the attack and most of the other ships sunk in the attack were repaired and put back in service. During the war, Hawaii became a major staging and training base for the Pacific War. Many wounded troops were sent to Hawaii hospitals. The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard became a major repair base for the war. Hawaii was a major supply depot and refueling depot for the Pacific War. A vast fleet of United States Merchant Navy ships help keep the base depots supplied. After the attack at Pearl Harbor, General Walter Short put Hawaii on Martial law, putting all of Hawaii under military rule till the end of the war. Japanese-Americans and Japanese immigrants on Hawaii were sent to Internment Camps during the war. Two small internment camps were built in Honolulu Harbor and Honouliuli. At Honouliuli 3,000 Japanese were held and later Italians, Okinawans, German Americans, Taiwanese, and a few Koreans were later held. At the end of the war, many of the troops returned home in Operation Magic Carpet and some of the small bases were closed. In the Korean War (1950–1953) some ships in the United States Navy reserve fleets returned to active duty after being overhauled at the shipyard and sea trialed by the base. With the Vietnam War (1955–1975) the base was again busy with support efforts. The Cold War (1947-1991) and the 600-ship Navy had Naval Base Hawaii active. Hawaii was admitted as a US state on August 21, 1959 by the Hawaii Admission Act.

Pearl Harbor attack

Japan planned and carried out a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Japanese midget submarines type Kō-hyōteki were used during the Pearl Harbor attack. Five midget submarines were launched before the Pearl Harbor attack: 16, 18, 19, 20, and 22. Of the five submarines it is thought that only two made it into the harbor. No. 19 was captured as it grounded on the east side of Oahu. No. 18 sank after a depth charge attack. No. 20 was sunk by ''Ward''. No. 22 made it into Pearl Harbor and fired two torpedoes, both missed their targets before being sunk by the USS Monaghan. No.16 fired two torpedoes, at an unknown target. The midget submarines had been launched by fleet submarines , , , , and from Pearl Harbor.

Imperial Japanese aircraft (including fighters, level and dive bombers, and torpedo bombers) attacked bases in Hawaii, including Pearl Harbor in two waves. The aircraft were launched from six aircraft carriers 430 km (260 mi) north of Hawaii. The main target was Battleship Row at Ford Island and the airfields. Seven battleships were at Ford Island and one was in dry dock No. 1 for repairs, the . All eight battleships were damaged and four were sunk in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor. The battleship and were not salvaged and remain as war grave memorials. The battleship was salvaged and then scrapped due to her age. The other battleships damaged were repaired and returned to service: , , , , and ''Pennsylvania''. In the attack three cruisers: , and were damaged and later repaired. Four destroyers: , , , were damaged and later repaired. and one minelayer. More than 180 US aircraft were destroyed. In the attack 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded. The attack destroyed most of the planes at NAS Ford Island, Hickam Field, to the North Wheeler Airfield and NAS Kaneohe Bay. Japan's focus on the battleships, other large ships and airfields in the attack left other parts of the base unharmed: the power station, dry docks, shipyard, depots, fuel tanks, and torpedo depot, ammo, depots, submarine base, intelligence office. Of the Japanese 354 planes 29 aircraft were lost.

At the time of the attack, no US aircraft carriers were at Pearl Harbor. The USS ''Enterprise'' was returning to Pearl Harbor and was 215 miles west of Pearl Harbor. USS ''Lexington'' was 500 miles southeast of Midway. USS ''Saratoga'' was at NAS San Diego preparing to depart to Pearl Harbor. Due to the attack, the USS ''Yorktown'' was transferred to the Pacific Fleet on 16 December 1941. New aircraft carriers would join the Pacific War and other transferred. The USS ''Yorktown'' was later sunk by Japanese submarine I-168 on 7 June 1942. USS ''Lexington'' (CV-2) was badly damaged in the Battle of the Coral on 8 May 1942 and was scuttled.

Current Hawaii Naval Bases

*Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam - Navy Region Hawaii since 25 July 1997
** Lualualei VLF transmitter
**Pearl Fleet Navy Exchange Store
*Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard
*Mana Airport, became Pacific Missile Range Facility in 1957, Barking Sands, Kauai FPO# 901
* Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Pacific in Wahiawa, was Naval Radio Station Wahiawa
*Navy Information Operations Command, Hawaii (NIOC Hawaii)
* The US Navy supports: Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay

Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor

USS ''Alert'', as submarine tender for the Third Submarine Division of the Pacific Fleet, lying alongside the wharf at Kuahua Island, U.S. Naval Station, Pearl Harbor, 22 August 1917. and are alongside; the unidentified "boat" is probably

Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor opened in 1918 at the end of World War I. The US Navy sent submarines United States R-class submarine USS R-15 (SS-92) and USS R-20 (SS-97). The submarines arrived in January 1919. In 1912 four F-class submarines operated out of the Naval Station at Pier 5 in Honolulu. USS F-4 sank off Honolulu in 1915 and the remaining F-class submarine were taken back to the states. In 1916 four K type submarines operated out of Pearl Harbor with the submarine tender USS Alert (AS-4) till after World War I. In 1919 a submarine base was built with waterfront concrete docking slabs at . Commander Chester W. Nimitz, later Fleet Admiral Nimitz, was the first Commanding Officer of the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base, Submarine Division 14. Some of the new bases building were aviation cantonment buildings from World War I France. The new base had a mess hall, administration building; machine shop, carpenter shop, electric plant, gyro-compass shop, optical and battery overhaul shops. For general stores, a floating barge was used. Starting in 1920, nine United States R-class submarine were stationed Pearl Harbor in 1920. In 1923 permanent building construction was stated. With limited barracks during construction submarine personnel lived on the 1885 cruiser  USS Chicago, later renamed the  USS Alton, at where pier S1 is now.
By 1925, the sub base had about 25 buildings and some swamp land had been turned in usable land. In 1928, the current "U" shaped barracks building was built to house all submarine and submarine base personnel. By 1933, submarine berths 10 to 14 were completed with a 30-ton crane for servicing the subs. In 1933 a submarine rescue and training tank was built. In 1933 a new torpedo shop, pool, theater and repair building were completed and the USS Alton retired. Pearl Harbor Submarine Base was not attacked on 7 December 1941, the base was small compared to Naval Base and battleships. So the submarine fleet was the first to take the war to Japan in the Pacific. The submarine Base started with 359 men on 30 June 1940, then 700 on 15 August 1941, to 1,081 by July 1942, and peaked July 1944 with 6,633 men at the Submarine Base. Over 400 men were stationed on submarines out of the 123.5 acre base. During the war, the base handled 15,644 torpedoes and 5,185 torpedoes fired at enemy vessels. Of these 1,860 torpedoes made successful hits. Submarine Base had is own Base Medical Department, as medical needs on a sub are different than a ship. For Rest and Recuperation, the Submarine Base used the nearby Royal Hawaiian Hotel with 425 rooms, air crew and small craft crew used the hotel also. The base had a baseball team: the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base Dolphins. The bases on Hawaii each had a team that would play in their downtime. Submarine Memorial Chapel it is the oldest chapel at Pearl Harbor, it in now a remembrance of all the submariners who died in World War II.Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor
'US Navy'' On 7 December 1941, the US Navy had operational: 55 fleet submarine and 18 medium-sized submarines ( S-class submarines) in the Pacific, 38 submarines in other theaters, and 73 submarines under construction. By the end of World War II, the Navy had built 228 submarines. Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, USS Parche Memorial, Submarine Memorial Park, Sharkey Theater, Paquet Hall, NGIS Lockwood Hall Annex, and Navy Gateway Lockwood Hall are on the former Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor location on Quarry Loch and Magazine Loch in Southeast Loch.

Pearl Harbor PT Boat Base

At the Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor was the Pearl Harbor PT Boat Base. PT Boats used the same torpedoes as the submarines so the PT-Boat base operated out of the Submarine Base. At the time of the attack six PT boats were in Magazine Loch at the base at Berth S-13: PT-20, PT-21, PT-22, PT-23, PT-24, and PT-25, Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron One. The PT Boats were the first to use their anti-aircraft guns to shoot back. The PT Boats fired over 4,000 rounds at the planes with Boat PT-23 shooting down the first Japanese torpedo bomber in the attack. The boats engaged in anti-submarine patrols after the attack. YR-20, a submarine barge, was being used as a PT Boat tender for the PT Boat squadron at Pearl Harbor. Six PT Boats, at the time of the attack, were in various stages of being loaded onto the deck of the oil tanker, USS ''Ramapo'', to be shipped to Naval Base Philippines. ''Ramapo'' was at berth B-12 at the Naval Yard, as a Naval Yard crane was being used to load the boats. Patrol torpedo boat PT-29 was one the boats already loaded on ''Ramapo''. The six PT-Boats at replenishment oiler ''Ramapo'', PT-26, PT-27, PT-28, PT-29, PT-30 and PT-42, were able to fire at the attackers. With the fall of the Philippines the 12 PT Boats were sent to defend the Midway Atoll in May 1942 under their own power. PT-23 broke down en route and was returned to Pearl Harbor. In 1943 PT Boats with Squadron 26, (PT-255 thru PT-264) were stationed at Pearl Harbor. PT Boats had a range of about 500 miles and were armed with four .50-caliber machine guns and four 21-inch torpedo tubes. PT Boat were wooden boat that were small, fast and able to attack large ships.

Ford Island Seaplane Base

Ford Island Seaplane Base was located on Ford Island's southwestern corner in Pearl Harbor. The base was called Naval Air Station Ford Island, (NAS Ford Island). On December 16, 1918, two seaplane ramps and two seaplane hangers were built. The base was near the Joint Services Flying Field, later renamed Luke Field Amphibian Base. The Island in the early days was called ''Rabbit Island''. The US Army operated Luke Field, a 5,400 foot long runway, on Ford Island from 1919 to 1941. In 1941 all of Ford Island used by the US Navy and renamed NAS Pearl Harbor. US Navy unit VJ-1 (JRS-1) was based at the Seaplane Base. Ford Island Seaplane Base was the first base hit on the 7 December 1941 attack. A Aichi D3A Val piloted by Lt Cdr Takahashi dropped the first bomb, a 242 kg Type 98 land bomb at 7:55am on the seaplane ramp. During the war Consolidated PBY Catalina and Martin PBM Mariner were both stationed and passed through the base. Battleship Row was along the east shore of Ford Island. K. Mark Takai Pacific Warfighting Center is currently on Ford Island.

Net laying

USS ''Ash'' Net laying ship that worked at Pearl Harbor
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, there was concern about a second attack, as such more anti-submarine net operations were put in place to protect capital ships and the dry docks. Net laying ships: USS ''Ash'', and USS ''Cinchona'' Aloe-class net laying ships, worked at Pearl Harbor through the war. YNG-17 a net barge was used by the net laying ships to store nets at Pearl Harbor. In 1941 at the Pearl Harbor entrance the Navy had only a torpedo net installed. The torpedo net was only about 30 feet deep and did not extend down to the bottom of the channel with anchors. Submarine nets are anchored to the bottom. One and maybe two midget submarines were able to go under the torpedo net. At the time of the attack, no nets were installed in the Naval Base harbor, as the shallow harbor was thought to be safe from air torpedoes. After the attack temporary and later permanent nets were placed to protect capital ships and the dry docks. a fleet of net laying ship ships were built and used at major bases across the Pacific War.

Kaneohe Bay Seaplane Base

Kaneohe Bay Seaplane Base, Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, at Kaneohe Bay, Oʻahu on 464 acres of the Mokapu Peninsula. In 1940 a 5,700 by 1,000 foot runway was added to seaplane base, with housing for 9,000 men. During the 1941 attack, only 9 of the 36 PBY Catalinas at Kaneohe Base survived the attack and of the 9 that survived, six were damaged. At the Kaneohe Bay Seaplane Base 18 sailors were killed in the attack. Seabees built an assembly depot, repair depot, plating shop, engine testing depot, and an engine-overhaul depot. In February 1944 the Seabees built a second runway 5,000-feet long, Kaneohe Field. US Navy units stationed during the war at Kaneohe were: Patrol Wing 1, VP-14 with PBY, 318th Fighter Group, 73rd Fight group with Curtiss P-40E Warhawk) and VP-137 with Lockheed Ventura PV-1). Kaneohe Field had an assembly and repair shop for aircraft. Naval Air Station Kaneohe was a training center for aviation, naval gunnery, turret operations, celestial navigation, sonar, and other naval operations till 1949. For baseball the base had the: Naval Air Station (NAS) Kaneohe Bay Klippers. Kaneohe Field is now part of Marine Corps Base Hawaii - Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay. In 1951, the Marine Corps took over Kaneohe Field, and the Navy moved land operations to NAS Barbers Point.

Naval Air Station Honolulu

Naval Air Station Honolulu also called Honolulu Airfield, was John Rodgers Field at Keehi Lagoon on the south shore of Oahu. The Navy acquired the commercial airfield John Rodgers Airport, in February 1943. John Rodgers Airport opened in March 1927. Next to the John Rodgers runway, the Navy built a second runway and a seaplane base. The Seabee lengthened the John Rodgers, the two runways were 7,400 feet and 6,800-foot long. The Seabee built two new 6,600-foot parallel runways on fill, aviation-gasoline storage, control tower, barracks, depot, 10 plane nose hangar, and two seaplane ramps. The main Naval activity at the base was the Naval Air Transport Service. The US Navy WAVES were stationed at Naval Air Station Honolulu with their own quarters. Naval Air Station Honolulu support the largest seaplane, Martin JRM Mars. The US Navy used Martin JRM Mars for cargo from San Francisco Bay starting 23 January 1944. The Martin JRM Mars service continued until 1956. In 1946 Airfield was returned to commercial use. The runways are now Honolulu International Airport

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